


home all over again

by Laylah



Category: Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger
Genre: Emotional Sex, Episode Tag, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 20:58:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7860892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laylah/pseuds/Laylah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You were so brave," he says softly, fondly. "Alone against terrible odds and refusing to give up."</p>
<p><i>I wasn't brave</i>, Joe almost says as he reaches for the gauze. <i>Just desperate.</i> Instead he says, "You were so reckless. Charging into someone else's fight like that."</p>
<p>"Maybe I was," Marvelous admits. He lifts his arms so Joe can pass the roll of gauze around his middle. "But you have to admit, I got quite a treasure out of it."</p>
<p>[episode 12 tag]</p>
            </blockquote>





	home all over again

**Author's Note:**

> From what I can tell this is the episode that makes people go HOLY SHIT I NEED TO WRITE FIC FOR THESE GUYS and I am apparently no exception. What good comrades in arms, like dang.

They get back to the Galleon and Marvelous eats what appears to be half his body weight in chicken wings and pastries before he gets sent off to bed. The others fuss over Joe a little bit—Ahim especially, as if even after traveling with them for this long she doesn't know what to do when people get injured—but his injuries are superficial and he's never liked being coddled. They back off eventually.

When Doc gets up and says, "I should go change his bandages before he completely passes out," Joe gets up too.

"Let me do it," he says.

The others stare at him. "Are you sure?" Doc asks. 

"I need to talk to him," Joe says. "And I know how to change someone's bandages. I've done it before."

Doc studies his face for a second and then nods. "Fine. I'll get you the supplies."

Marvelous really must have told them something outrageous about him. Well, too late now.

Joe takes the antiseptic and the fresh gauze Doc produces and heads for the captain's cabin. He lets himself in without knocking. Marvelous is lying on his stomach, barefoot and sprawled on top of the sheets, and he cracks an eye open when the door opens.

"Not who I was expecting," he says.

"I hope you're not too disappointed," Joe answers. He comes over and sits down at the edge of the bed.

"Never," Marvelous says, just like that, disarmingly straightforward and intense as always. He pushes himself up on his hands. "You'll need me to sit up for this, won't you?"

Joe nods. "Afraid so."

Marvelous sits up carefully, moving with awkward stiffness as he tries not to aggravate his wound. He shouldn't have been pushing himself to fight today. But there's no way he would do otherwise, is there? Not when there's a fight going on that he's decided is his problem.

"Reckless," Joe says anyway. He settles behind Marvelous and starts to cut away the old bandages; after the battle today they're grimy with sweat and dirt, and in a few spots they've bled through. Marvelous holds still even when Joe peels the bandage away from the wound itself. "I've been... thinking a lot about that first time we fought together."

"Mmm." Marvelous still looks relaxed. The cut in his back is raw and ugly, but nowhere near as bad as it should be. The way he heals is amazing. "That was a good fight. Good to have you at my back."

Joe starts to clean up the edges of the wound with the antiseptic wipes. Marvelous tenses under his hands. "Better then than now, I bet."

"Even now." Marvelous still sounds relaxed, as tense as his body feels. "This is annoying but you're someone I can trust."

"I almost got you killed," Joe says.

"I did what I wanted to do." Marvelous looks back over his shoulder and gives Joe that brilliant, fearless smile. "That's what it means to be a pirate."

There's a lump in Joe's throat. "Hold still," he says. His hands aren't quite steady as he swabs down the cut. Marvelous hisses softly at one point, as the antiseptic touches a tender spot, but he doesn't move. His skin is warm under Joe's hands.

"You were so brave," he says softly, fondly. "Alone against terrible odds and refusing to give up."

_I wasn't brave_ , Joe almost says as he reaches for the gauze. _Just desperate._ Instead he says, "You were so reckless. Charging into someone else's fight like that."

"Maybe I was," Marvelous admits. He lifts his arms so Joe can pass the roll of gauze around his middle. "But you have to admit, I got quite a treasure out of it."

If he were someone else Joe would have some glib retort for that, some way of defusing the weight of the words. But that's not his strong suit and never has been. He wraps the fresh bandages around Marvelous's ribs, then over his shoulder to anchor them, then around again. His hands are shaking. 

He lost Sid. He doesn't have to lose Marvelous. He _won't_ lose Marvelous.

"How does that feel?" he asks as he finishes the wrapping. "Not too tight?"

Marvelous shakes his head. "It's just fine."

Joe's hands have settled at Marvelous's waist. He can't seem to make himself move them. He wants to say something like _Don't do anything that stupid again_ or _Don't risk your life for me like that_ but he knows it won't sink in. That's just the kind of person Marvelous is. And maybe that's why Joe would follow him anywhere in the universe.

Before he's thought about it enough to stop himself, he leans down and presses a kiss to Marvelous's bare shoulder.

Marvelous's spine straightens for an instant in surprise. Joe takes a breath to apologize, to promise it won't happen again, but Marvelous leans back against him, letting his head fall back to rest on Joe's shoulder. "Finally," he says.

Joe blinks at him. "...Have you been waiting for me?"

"You're not the kind of man who'd appreciate being rushed on things like this," Marvelous says. He turns his head and presses a line of gentle kisses along the line of Joe's jaw. Joe's arms slide around him as their lips meet and it's like coming home all over again, the weight of the realization settling over Joe fully: this is what home means. The Gokai Galleon. The others. Marvelous.

The kiss is slow, gentle, not cautious so much as _thorough_ , like they wouldn't want to miss something by rushing it. Marvelous's lips part, and his tongue meets Joe's in a languid caress. Joe closes his eyes and lets himself feel this moment: Marvelous in his arms, kissing him, warm and solid and alive. Marvelous still grinning even as they trade kisses.

"You should lie down with me," Marvelous says after a few minutes.

"You need to be careful of your injury," Joe says, but that's not a no and Marvelous won't take it as one.

They lie down together, stretched out on the captain's bunk, and Marvelous settles carefully on his side. "Much better," he says. He threads his fingers into Joe's hair. "Now come back here."

He pulls Joe into another kiss, deeper and hungrier, the kind that makes all of Joe's nerves light up and his skin flush warm. Their legs tangle together and Marvelous pulls Joe closer with that leverage. One of his hands slips up under the hem of Joe's shirt to stroke his back.

"We should be careful," Joe says again. 

Marvelous tugs on his shirt. "Take this off for me, then, so I don't hurt myself trying to wrestle it off you."

"I'm serious!" Joe says, but he takes his shirt off anyway. It feels good to be touched, and it's been so long since he's wanted to let anyone this close.

"I know you are." Marvelous runs his hands over Joe's bared skin, pulling him close again. "No acrobatic sex until I've had a chance to heal. But that doesn't mean _everything's_ off the table, does it?"

It probably should. Waiting would be reasonable. But the delighted sparkle in Marvelous's eyes when he says _acrobatic sex_ is distracting.

"You're a problem, captain," Joe says, smiling helplessly. "Have been since the beginning."

Marvelous laughs, like he can recognize that for the capitulation it is, and this time Joe is the one to kiss him, crushing their lips together and pressing the advantage. Marvelous nips at his tongue, and that little sharp sensation makes his cock twitch. He moans encouragement and gets rewarded with another teasing little bite. His hips rock, seeking friction, and Marvelous makes a soft hungry noise into his mouth.

He won't let himself rush this. They've waited this long to get this far. He doesn't need to hurry. He keeps an arm around Marvelous's waist, below the line of the bandages, and savors each kiss as it comes. Marvelous's hands skate over his skin, smoothing scars, following lines of muscle definition. When Marvelous rakes his nails down Joe's back, Joe hisses and arches into the touch. It's good, a subtle burn punctuated by spots of bright stinging pain where he has scars, and he wouldn't have thought he'd be considering any sort of pain _good_ , but it's Marvelous and all bets are off.

"I want you," Marvelous breathes, like a secret, like a promise. He's said it before—said it right when they met, even—but it's different now, here. He grinds his cock against Joe's, and Joe aches with need.

"You have me," he says, and he knows Marvelous knows that, but it feels so important to say it out loud after what they've just been through. Marvelous grinds their cocks together again and Joe moans.

"Touch me, then?" Marvelous pulls back just enough to have room to reach down between them and start unbuttoning his pants.

Joe nods. He reaches down himself and helps to push the layers of pants and boxers out of the way—and then he feels metal along with flesh and has to stop to look.

There's a ring through the head of Marvelous's cock, gleaming gold in the light. Joe can't help wincing a little in sympathy at how much that must have hurt, but at the same time it's so perfect for Marvelous—so emblematic of all his reckless, glorious choices—that he can't be surprised. When he wraps his hand around Marvelous's cock, his thumb rests at just the right spot to stroke the flesh around the ring. He does, and Marvelous groans softly, leaning into him.

"Tell me if anything hurts," Joe says. This really should wait.

"Don't worry so much," Marvelous says. He unzips Joe's pants and reaches inside. "We're being careful. Everything's fine."

_Fine_ is an understatement, as Marvelous's hand closes around his cock and Joe's hips hitch instinctively toward the touch. He's so hard for this, and Marvelous handles him with the same easy confidence that captivated him from the day they met.

They fall into a rhythm together, as easy as fighting back to back. Joe leans in to kiss Marvelous again because now that he's started he doesn't know how he'll ever stop, and they're both distracted this time with the warm delicious friction of stroking each other but it's still wonderful. Toying with the ring in his cock makes Marvelous arch and shiver, and there's a way he twists his hand at the top of a stroke that makes Joe shudder in helpless pleasure.

Tension builds slowly, each stroke stringing Joe's nerves just the slightest bit tighter than the one before. He catches himself straining for it, thrusting into Marvelous's hand, savoring the roughness of calluses. His rhythm turns ragged, in time with his desperate breaths—and when Marvelous bites him again, teeth closing around his lip, that's enough to put him over the edge. He has just enough presence of mind to roll onto his back and then he's coming, splattering his chest and stomach as he shudders in Marvelous's hand.

When he opens his eyes, Marvelous looks delighted with him. "You look good like that, you know. Exhausted and messy and smiling about it."

Joe ducks his head as if that would hide the way his cheeks heat at that assessment. "Come here. We're not done."

He coaxes Marvelous into his lap and picks up where he left off, stroking fast and hard. Marvelous makes a show of it, bracing his hands on his thighs and rocking his hips as if he's fucking Joe's hand. His piercing glitters and the head of his cock is flushed ruddy. Even with the bandages he looks gorgeous. He pants for breath as he gets close, his lips parted, his mouth kiss-swollen.

"Let go," Joe says. "Let me see you."

Marvelous nods. His cheeks are flushed, his eyes glazed with need. His breath catches in his throat and then he cries out, head thrown back in abandon as he comes. It feels like a triumph, like—fine, like a treasure, this moment of charged connection.

Marvelous's chest heaves as he catches his breath afterward. He smiles down at Joe giddily, like they've just gotten away with something wonderful. "Worth the wait," he says.

Joe has to laugh. "You probably could have been less subtle about it, you know."

"Maybe." Marvelous reaches out and brushes back Joe's hair where it's sticking to his temples. "But I wanted to be absolutely sure."

"And are you?" Joe asks.

"I'm pretty convinced. But I might need to double-check once I've healed up."

"I think we can manage that," Joe says. He offers a steadying hand as Marvelous climbs off him, then accepts the offered tissues so he can wipe up the mess they've both made. He watches Marvelous lie back down, still a little stiff but getting better. "Should I leave you to get some sleep?"

Marvelous looks up at him with what's probably supposed to be a glare but is too drowsy to be effective. "You should stay right here," he says.

"Just wanted to be absolutely sure," Joe says. He takes off his boots and leaves them at the foot of the bunk, then stretches out at Marvelous's side. He drapes an arm carefully over Marvelous's waist. Marvelous takes his hand and laces their fingers together. 

It's been a long day, and a hard one; the chance to finally relax is a welcome relief. Joe lies there, listening to the shift of Marvelous's breathing into easy sleep, feeling the quiet fierce warmth of being right where he belongs—the weight lifted from his shoulders, the knot eased behind his ribs. It's been a long day, but he's come home.


End file.
